So, I’m a little behind the times. I should have had easy-to-find social media buttons here a long time ago. Well, they’re here now! Look over there on the right-hand side of the page! You might have to scroll down just a little to see those cute little red buttons under that “About Me” blurb. Aren’t they sweet? A huge, “Thank you!” to Carrie from Carrie Loves Design for the freebie buttons. Do you need some? She has them in 30 colors, glitter-colors even! Go check them out right here: Free Social Media Icons. Not only did I find the free buttons there, though, I also learned how to make the buttons change colors when you hover your mouse over them! Go try it! It’s fun, isn’t it? (I sort of just want to sit here and roll my mouse back and forth across them.) You can find that tutorial on Carrie’s blog right here: Cool Hover Effect.
Okay, stop scrolling over the buttons now. I’m taking a little cue from my friend, Rachael, over at Imagine Gnats — actually, I’m pretty much outright copying her — and posting a little update to how you can keep track of what is going on here at Fishsticks Designs.
The first little button that you’ll find over there in the right side column is the Email Me button. If you ever have any questions, need any help with a tutorial, want to send me chocolate . . . just email me! I try my best to respond to emails within 24 hours, but there are many times when I feel like every email I send begins with, “I’m so sorry this took so long . . . ” That said, emails do get lost, so if you’ve emailed, and I haven’t responded within a few days, feel free to email again. I promise I won’t be offended!
The second button links over to the Fishsticks Designs Facebook page. If you haven’t liked my Facebook page, you should! You’re missing out on all sorts of fun stuff! Just this week, you would have been able to follow along with the last-minute excitement that was involved with getting our family county fair projects dropped off on Tuesday.
You would have even been able to give me advice on what to do when Charlie found my fair-entry banana bread loaf and broke a huge chunk off of the corner. (I did end up baking a new loaf late in the afternoon, and we barely made the drop-off deadline!)
The third button takes you over to my poor, forlorn, lonely, nearly forgotten Flickr group page. 
Really, it needs some love. I know you guys are sewing tons with my patterns and tutorials, and I want to see! Everyone wants to see! Do I need to bribe you? Hmmm . . . maybe a Flickr contest is in order. How about a monthly prize drawing? I would love to be able to feature some of your pictures here on a regular basis, too! Wouldn’t you love to get inspiration from what other moms are sewing? How could you not be inspired by this incredibly cute dinosaur hoodie that Ananda made using my Charlie Tee and Hoodie pattern? (So it was over a year ago. It’s still cute! Go give me some new stuff to work with!)
The first button on the second row is the Instagram button! If you want to see little peeks of what I’m working on, like my Covert Robin swap which went out in the mail today . . . 
. . . or pictures of everyday life around here, like the incredible amount of dirt my little guys cover themselves with, you should go follow me in Instagram! (Yes, his big toe still has red toenail polish on it.)
The fifth button will take you over to my Pinterest boards! I don’t have a ton of things pinned, but I’m working on a pretty good collection. I will probably never be one of those people with 25,000+ pins, but I do enjoy finding and pinning things on a fairly regular basis.
The last little button over there is so cute! Isn’t it? That button links up to this blog on the bloglovin’ site. If you enjoy keeping track of all your favorite blogs in one place, that is the place to go. Now that Google’s Reader is disappearing, many people are switching over. I actually never used Reader, but I recently found bloglovin’ and I’m lovin’ it! *snicker* Don’t roll your eyes at me. I really do love it! It keeps track of all of my favorite blogs and allows me to scroll through the latest posts all in one place.
That covers all of the social media buttons, but there is one other way to keep track of what’s going on here: the Subscription option. When you subscribe to this blog, you’ll get an email immediately anytime that I post anything. The email will give you the post title, the first part of the post and a link to click over and read the rest. It’s really the best way to stay in touch! You’ll find the subscription option off to the right-hand side, too, just below the “Joining In” section.
Okay, I think that covers everything! Do I have you all hooked up now? I don’t want you to miss out on any of the fun around here! Have any questions or suggestions? Now’s a great time to throw them out!
I checked out your flickr group and added a couple of items I’ve made … such fun looking at everyone’s creations, and their utterly adorable kids, too! The well-dressed child (and lovingly-dressed, too!) really does wear Fishsticks Designs. 🙂
Hi Bonnie, Thanks so much for including me in your post – the icons look great in your sidebar! ?
I joined flickr and added some pictures too. I love seeing everyone’s work! Could you tell me where you got those tags?? That Sock monkey tag peeking out would be the perfect way to finish off a baby gift I’m working on. Thank you!
Oh, aren’t those tags great?! I’ll have to feature them soon! They’re made by my friend, Becca, of Night Owls Menagerie: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NightOwlsMenagerie . I don’t see any of the sock monkeys listed individually, but I do see them in the “Pick Your Set” listing. I would convo her, and see if she’ll put together a listing for you!
Hmm it seems like your site ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I wrote and say,
I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to everything.
Do you have any suggestions for newbie blog writers? I’d genuinely
appreciate it.